As they got closer, more and more details of that house became visible. It was a bit bigger than it seemed at first, due to having a rectangular shape and the group having been facing one of its short sides. It had a set of double doors that were of slightly darker red than the rest of it. Plus it seemed to be made of mostly wood.

The place where the house was standing was somewhat more notable, being on the southeastern coast of one of the larger islands in the area, which had many smaller islands around it that were connected to it and each other via long sequences of bridges.

“That’s one of our most used bases.” Leonem explained “Because this is one of the more chaotic regions in this zone, and so we’re often doing stuff around here, making this location convenient.”

“I understand.” Elise replied.

Getting even closer, they saw a bunch of objects lying against one of the walls, which Leonem explained as being hover mobiles, single person vehicles that were commonly used for transportation in the region. It made sense, as they were circular metallic platforms with a raised panel on the front that contained the controls.

The number of those hover mobiles implied that most if now all of the other members of the team were already inside. So once they stopped in front of the doors to the house and Leonem once more used his scroll to communicate with his team, his next words weren’t a surprise:

“They’re already inside, so we can just go in.” He said, before pulling out a key to unlock the entrance and heading inside, closely followed by the rest.

The room behind the door was a small entryway with white tiled walls and a green carpeted floor. It had a coat hanger on one side and a sofa on the other, but was otherwise bare. The entryway had doors on the sides, but Leonem went straight for the larger door in front, opening it up and calling for the others to come.

They stepped inside a large hall that was clearly the main room of that house and came face to face with the rest of the Lotus Defenders. The first one to grab their attention was a tall man who was standing near the middle of the room. He wore half plate armor and a helmet that left his face visible, showing his black hair and brown eyes. On his left side was a large square shield while on his right was a long sword.

He was paying close attention to them, but didn’t seem overly wary. Elise approved of his demeanor.

‘He’s not taking us lightly, but he’s not acting too cautiously either. It’s just right for meeting new people.’ She noted ‘That must be their leader, Ricardo.’

To his left was a wooden table large enough to accommodate the entire team, which was entirely utilitarian, without any special decorations of any sort. Only two people were sitting at that table, the first being a girl with a hot orange skin tone that seemed to have a subtle glow, along with bright red hair that wavered like a flame and eyes that shone with the same color as her hair, which were looking at the newcomers with casual interest.

Most of the girl’s body was hidden by the table, but her stature was that of an older teenager and she didn’t appear to be wearing clothes. Not that she needed them, being a type of fire spirit that had decent control over her physical form and thus could simply choose not to have any parts that needed covering up. She was very clearly Ember, to the point where Elise didn’t even need to use her power in order to ascertain that fact.

The other person at the table was also a girl, one who looked just a bit younger than Ember and whose position made more of her body visible than the other girl. The duo were very much a study in contrasts, with this second girl having a dark blue colored body that seemed to literally be made of water, along with actually wearing clothing, specifically something that looked like a one-piece swimming suit like what an athlete would wear, down to its mostly black color. The girl had nothing on her feet, but that was natural, since they were more of an amorphous mound of water, while her hands looked relatively normal. She also had long hair which was a lighter blue tone, while Ember’s hair was short.

‘And that’s Naiou.’ Elise thought to herself, noting that the girl had glanced at them briefly before very deliberately turning away ‘Looks like Leonem was telling the truth about her.’

On the opposite side of the room were two armchairs with a cabinet between them, and sitting on one was another member of the lotus defenders, a girl who seemed to be about the same age as Elise and her partners (minus Nalia). She had light-green skin and very wild dark green hair. She had long ears like an elf and was wearing a very simple white dress, as well as having tattoo-like markings on both ankles and continuing the trend of lacking shoes.

She was looking back and forth between the newcomers and Ricardo and was easily recognizable as Silvie the sylph.

Behind her and close to a window at the back of the room was a large work desk with a shelf beside it, both of which were covered in books and documents. Sitting at the table was the third and final man in the room. He was about as short as Silvie, but his proportions marked him as an adult.

His skin was earth-brown and his hair was red and wild, while his eyes were bright yellow and shone with intelligence. His hands had six fingers each and he was wearing a simple set of durable-looking clothes in muted colors, along with long black boots that clashed with so much with his overall utilitarian look that one couldn’t help but think that they were probably a gift.

He was Onyx the gnome, and he hadn’t even glanced at the newcomers, being absorbed on his working and on talking with the last person in the room: A fairy who was floating above his desk.

That fairy was about the same size as Nalia, but the similarities between them mostly ended there. The fairy’s skin tone was a bit darker than Yura’s, with a consistency akin to tree bark. Her hands and feet were humanoid, but circling her wrists and ankles like bracelets were leafed branches that sprouted from her body and instead of hair, her head was covered by a yellow flower Elise managed to recognize as a rue. Finally, her wings were so thin and clear that it took a second look for the girl to notice them at all.

In addition, the fairy was wearing a light blue vest along with a long yellow skirt. Elise recognized her as Lauria and realized that one of the members of the lotus defenders was missing.

Yet that thought was proven false only moments later, when one of the doors on the back of the room opened and the dryad Hazel walked out from there, carrying a tray containing four plates of food.

Just like Silvie, she appeared to be about as old as Elise’s group. Her skin was light green and her hair was the color of autumn leaves. She had leafed branches similar to Lauria’s, only hers snaked around the full length of her arms, and it looked like the same was true of her legs.

One couldn’t be sure of that, though, as Hazel was wearing by far the most elaborate outfit out of anyone in the room: A white, pink, yellow and purple dress with short puffy sleeves and a long multi-layered skirt, though she followed the general trend of not having any shoes.

As soon as she saw the newcomers, the dryad smiled and broke the momentary silence “Ah! You’re here. Wait just a moment.” Then she quickly made her way to the table and left the tray on top of it before walking up to Elise.

“Hi! I’m Hazel. Sorry for asking something weird, but I really like your clothes, can I copy them?”

“Sure.” Elise instantly replied. The dryad’s behavior had been surprising, but not enough to throw her off balance, and she was curious as to what the other girl meant.

She got the answer only moments later, when a pulse of magic ran through Hazel’s dress, and it began quickly changing into a copy of the simple blue one-piece dress Elise was currently wearing. Given the short distance, Nalia soon figured out what was happening.

‘It’s life magic. Her clothes are made of plant fibers, so they qualify as biological material, but I never considered someone might do something like this.’ The fairy spoke to the others via the bond connection.

‘It’s not a common technique. Affecting dead things with life magic is tough, so having good enough control to shape-shift clothes is quite impressive.’ Elise replied as Hazel finished her trick ‘If she really wants to try healing me, I think she’d do a good job.’

As if she had heard Elise’s communication, Hazel then looked at Elise’s bandaged arm for a moment before turning back to her face “Leonem told me about your arm. I’ll be glad to try healing it, but I think we’d better wait until the serious business is done.” She then turned around and did a small waving gesture while looking at Ricardo “Sorry.”

The tall knight didn’t seem to be angry, as he looked at the dryad with a small smile and an expression that was a mix of fondness and exasperation.

He wasn’t the only one. Several of the other lotus defenders were watching the situation with smiles of their own, and even Onyx and Lauria had paused their work to look over in curiosity.

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Seeing that no one wanted to rebuke her, Hazel perked up and spoke again “Okay, I still have meals to finish, so I’ll leave you guys to it.” before rushing back into the room that was probably the kitchen.

Her actions had very clearly broken the tension in the room, so Ricardo didn’t delay any longer and simply walked up to them before speaking:

“Greetings, I am Ricardo Lithes, leader of this group.” He paused for a moment to allow the newcomers to introduce themselves, and during that time Leonem finally decided to leave their side and go sit at the table.

Once the introductions were over, Ricardo spoke again:

“Leonem has relayed your proposition to us, but I would like to hear from you directly. Why would a mercenary like you want to get involved in a situation like this and what do you expect to gain from it?”

Elise smiled in response and thought for a moment before deciding to be honest “So you did some research about me, huh? I don’t really consider myself to be a mercenary, but more of an adventurer. I just acted as a mercenary in Theremis because it was the best method to accomplish my goals.”

“And those goals were?” Ricardo asked.

“I’m a contractor, so I originally went there to look for partners to contract with.” Elise replied “But because of the troubles going on there at the time the people were wary, so I acted as a mercenary to gain their trust. I did end up making a contract with Nina here, but I didn’t want to simply leave, both because that would mean abandoning her home to its fate and because I simply couldn’t let the villains do whatever they wanted once I understood the situation.”

“I see. Have you also come here for the same reason?”

“Yes. You’re clearly aware of the diversity of beings who live in this area, so it should be easy to understand my thoughts.” Elise said “However, after arriving here I found myself in the middle of another incident. I could ignore it and simply let your group deal with it as I searched for another potential partner, but it is not my style to rely on other people to solve my problems.

“Because, having been attacked, this is my problem now. Make no mistake, I will investigate what is going on, that is not under discussion. I just thought it would be better to ally with the ones who are already dealing with the problem. I’m truly sorry for being pushy on this, but I believe working together with us would be the best choice for you people, since I can help and you can keep an eye on our group.” Elise finished.

There were a few seconds of silence as Ricardo processed her arguments and tried to decide on a response, then he opened his mouth and spoke:

“All of that sounds reasonable, but there is one thing I would like to ascertain before agreeing.”

“What?” Elise asked, as he was obviously waiting for it.

“Your strength, to make sure you’ll indeed be helpful. For that, I would like to duel against your strongest partner.” He replied, before pointing at… Nina.

Elise’s eyebrows raised in surprise before she replied “Why do you think she’s my strongest partner?”

“Because of the report sent by Leonem.” Ricardo explained “It stated that she was the one who was attacked by the Entity, and we know from experience that such entities seek out the largest energy source in range.”

Right after that, there was a series of quick communications between the group:

‘Okay, it’s flattering that he thinks I’m the strongest, but no way am I a bigger energy source than Nalia, so what’s going on?’ Nina asked.

‘I think it has to do with how those entities detect energy to find their targets. They must not be able to feel the true power within someone, only what’s expressed on the outside.’ Nalia reasoned.

‘Ah, and you weren’t casting any big spells, while Nina was enhancing herself with aura like she always does, so the thing “felt” more power from her.’ Yura said.

‘But why is he so convinced about this if the sensing of the entities is so unreliable?’ Nina asked a second question.

‘He probably doesn’t know. Most of his team is composed of elementals, and beings like them usually operate their powers fairly instinctively, so restraining their energy doesn’t come naturally to them, thus the entities they have faced would be able to get an accurate appraisal of their powers.’ Elise explained.

‘Okay, that makes sense. Should we inform them of their mistake?’ Nalia asked.

‘No. I think it might be better to let them believe Nina is our strongest member.’ Elise decided.

‘… Do you think they have something to do with this incident?’ Yura asked.

‘I literally have no idea. But the possibility does exist, and if it is the case, this could end up being an important advantage.’ Elise said.

The other three were convinced by that argument and their bond-shared conversation ended. It had taken only a few seconds, plus the lotus defenders were aware of the concept of communication via contract bonds, so they didn’t think the silence was strange.

“Okay.” Elise finally replied to Ricardo “We agree to this duel. Where should it be done?”

“There’s no need for any special location, so let’s just head outside for it.” Ricardo replied.

And so the two groups left the house (Lauria quickly flew into the kitchen to warn Hazel). As the two combatants were getting into position, Elise thought that it was quite convenient that Ricardo was the one to fight.

She had used her powers on the other lotus defenders and gotten a lot of information, including the names of Destroyer Agnis, Shaper Undyne, Sylph Archer, Magus Gnome, Fairy Enchanter and Healer Dryad for their ‘classes’. Combining that information with what she and her partners could feel from them and the brief descriptions from Leonem (which were all accurate from what Elise could tell), the contractor judged that their strength should be around Nina’s level at most, so it would be reasonably safe to get involved with the current incident.

That left Ricardo, who couldn’t be analyzed by her ability due to being a human. Considering the strength of his companions and what she could get from observation, Elise didn’t think his strength would be enough to make him a serious threat to their group, but she wasn’t sure.

Thus, it really was quite convenient that they would get the chance to ascertain his strength through that duel.

+0+

‘Do you have any instructions?’ Nina asked Elise as she walked to her starting position for the duel (about ten steps away from Ricardo’s starting position).

‘No need to go too far. This is a friendly duel, after all.’ The contractor replied.

Nina understood the underlying meaning: There was no need to hold back if the duel happened to become not so friendly.

She activated her aura and took a breath, smelling the breeze as well as the earth above all other smells. Through her feet, she felt the consistency of the ground so she could adapt her use of aura to move without hindrance. Then Nina reached the right spot and focused on Ricardo, prepared to notice even the slightest movement from him.

“Can you give the sign?” The knight asked her older sister, who nodded in response.

“You can start on zero.” Elise said, then she paused for a few moments before starting the count “Three.”

Ricardo’s arms moved, getting into position to grab his sword and shield quickly.

“Two.”

Nina changed her stance slightly, putting her left foot a bit forward.

“One.”

Both combatants leaned forward, muscles tense and ready to act.

“Zero!”

Nina took off, while Ricardo equipped himself with the ease of long practice. The rabbit girl decided against using instant movement for the first approach, deciding to get a measure of the enemy before using it. As such, she had time to feel the rushing wind and her own raising heartbeat in the seconds before contact.

The knight observed her approach carefully, not looking surprised by her quick acceleration and readying himself to counter her move.

Nina wouldn’t make that easy. On the last step, she shifted her trajectory right, the side Ricardo was holding his shield, and launched a low hook, trying to go around it.

Her opponent shifted one step back while swinging his shield towards her, hitting the side of her arm to parry her attack, then swinging his sword to follow-up. Nina could tell Ricardo was using aura on the sword to prevent it from cutting, but it would be a painful blow if it connected, so she jumped up, forcing him to stop his sword swing and launching a kick at his head.

Ricardo avoid her kick with a tilt of the head and launched a stab with the sword, but Nina used her quickdrop to dodge it and launched a kick at his right side right after touching the ground. The knight let out a grunt of effort as he moved his right foot back, changing his stance to help in moving the shield to block her blow.

Impact. For the first time the two’s strengths were pitted against each other, and the result was Ricardo being forced backwards slightly, which caused most of his teammates to show surprised expressions. Nina’s lips curved into a smile, but she didn’t get cocky, as things were far from decided.

The opponent slashed down with his sword, and Nina did an instant movement half-step to arrive at his right side, but he reacted astonishingly quickly to her sudden extreme movement, launching a kick in her direction to hinder her attempts at attacking directly.

However, that hasty move exposed a weakness, which Nina capitalized on mercilessly. The rabbit girl sent a rising palm strike to the bottom of Ricardo’s extending leg, not to damage him but to jar his body and destroy his balance. The knight was skilled enough to move with his supporting leg to avoid falling, but the time spent changing his stance was also time he was unable to respond to Nina’s moves.

The rabbit girl saw a chance to break the knee of Ricardo’s now overextended right leg, but decided against it (it was a friendly match, after all), instead taking a step forward and delivering a powerful liver blow.

“Ghh!” He grunted, pushing himself backwards to try and mitigate the force of Nina’s attack.

Ricardo managed to stay on his feet and keep sword and shield raised, but he clearly struggled with it. Nina stepped forward, intent on pressing the advantage, but then he said “That’s enough!”, causing her to stop.

The knight took a second to recover before speaking again:

“I’ve seen enough. Your skills are more than sufficient.”

Nina noticed Elise nodding in approval on the side and smiled while waiting for Ricardo to continue.

He turned to the contractor and gave his final verdict.

“Your proposal is acceptable. Let’s work together and solve this incident.”